AceShowbiz - Sir Ringo Starr has called off five shows after he's diagnosed with Covid. The diagnosis came days after a spokesperson for the group said the ill drummer did not have the illness and now The Beatles veteran, 82, and his All-Starr band axe the performances in Canada.

On Saturday night, October 1, Ringo and his group had pulled out of a gig at the Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo, Michigan, saying he was too sick to go on stage. The All-Starr band also cancelled their show scheduled for Sunday night in Prior Lake, Minnesota.

On Monday, October 3, it emerged Ringo had tested positive for Covid and wouldn't be playing in Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Lethbridge, or arenas in Abbotsford and Penticton.

A statement confirmed, "Ringo hopes to resume as soon as possible and is recovering at home. As always, he and the All Starrs send peace and love to their fans, and hope to see them back out on the road soon."

The shows are part of a wider tour that will stay on hold while the drummer recovers from the virus.

Ringo pulled out of the gig at the Four Winds Casino hours before he was due on stage after realising he could not perform due to an illness which was then understood to have impacted his voice. A spokesperson for the group insisted at the time the drummer did not have Covid, but did not say what was affecting him.

Ringo last month celebrated his 82nd birthday by maintaining the tradition of hosting his yearly "Peace and Love" party in Beverly Hills. He and his second wife Barbara also toasted 41 years of marriage in April.

The nine-time Grammy winner - who has sons Zak, 56, Jason, 54, and daughter Lee, 51, from his decade-long marriage to Maureen Starkey - concluded the Spring Tour 2022 on June 26 in Clearwater Florida with his All-Starr Band.

Postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic, it is set to resume in the Fall on September 23 in Bridgeport, Connecticut and is scheduled to finish on October 20 in Mexico City.